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Potatoes, especially sweet potatoes have been cultivated at high altitude for centuries in South America. You are probably right about -60C being too low, but i
by nikdaheratik 10y ago
Potatoes, especially sweet potatoes have been cultivated at high altitude for centuries in South America. You are probably right about -60C being too low, but if they provide some shelter potatoes could handle very low overnight temperatures without needing the amount of climate control that other crops would need. Which is one reason why they are looking at this crop.
- huxley 10y agoYou may be able to grow potatoes on Mars, but growing them in the Andes doesn't really get you that much closer to Martian conditions. Average pressure on Mars is about 0.6 kpa which is a trifle less than the pressure at Cusco which is approx 65 kpa pascals. Mt Everest is still about 37 kpa. I believe you'd have to go about 50km above sea level to hit the average pressure of Mars.
- mythrwy 10y agoSweet potatoes aren't even closely related to standard potatoes though. They are related to a morning glory where as standard potatoes are related to the tomato.